


My Enemy, My Friend, My Omega

by teddiehtet



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-11 23:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5645683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddiehtet/pseuds/teddiehtet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alfred, an alpha (but doesn’t really act like an alpha most of the time), has a crush on his beta senior and fellow otaku, Kiku. Kiku left for college before Alfred could confess, and when he they meet again, Al meets Arthur, an omega who seems too close to Kiku for his liking. Although Al’s relationship with Arthur didn’t exactly go off on a smooth start, he finds himself getting closer to the omega as time passes. USUK with slight one-sided Ameripan at first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Hey Kiku! I heard you got into W University?" Alfred Jones, an alpha high school junior with blond hair and sparkling blue eyes asked as he burst through the door of their anime/game clubroom. He scanned the room quickly, and after seeing that only his Japanese friend was present, took a deep breath and sat down next to him.

Kiku, a beta high school senior, glanced up from his art and answered, "Ah, yes, I did. I was actually expecting to get rejected or wait-listed, since I heard that the biology program was extremely competitive."

"With your grades there's no way you would've been rejected!" Alfred reassured. He started tapping his foot to try and calm himself down and to prepare himself for what he was going to say eventually.

"But I also think that me being an international student helped, since WU seems to accept a high rate of international students," Kiku replied while going back to drawing.

"H-Hey Kiku, we'll still keep in touch after your graduation right?" The blond uncharacteristically stuttered.

Kiku gave a small smile. "Of course. That should not even be a question, Alfred-san."

Alfred could feel his heart in his throat. His palms started to sweat, and his heart pounded rapidly. Being a young, clumsy junior with a crush on a smarter, more mature senior is not going well for Alfred at the moment. "So uh, I just wanted to ask if you…if you um…" Before the young alpha could finish his question Kiku's Skype video call tone went off.

"Ah, I'm sorry. My parents are calling. Excuse me." Kiku accepted his call, stood up, and walked out of the clubroom while greeting his parents. Once Kiku shut the door behind him, Alfred planted his face on the desk and heaved a sigh.

"Great. It'll take me forever to work up the courage to confess again," Alfred muttered. Although he was an alpha, Alfred didn't act like one most of the time. Many people have said that he is excellent at sports and treats everyone very well. Even though times are changing, there are still some alphas who refuse to treat omegas as their equals or who refuse to take betas or other alphas as mates. Because of his sunny disposition and slightly clumsy but charming personality, many people adore Alfred and would jump at the chance to be his mate if he ever asks, may it be omega, beta, or alpha. Unfortunately for Al, the beta he's had his eyes on for months now doesn't seem to realize the alpha's feelings.

As a result, Alfred never worked up the courage to confess, and Kiku ended up graduating and leaving for college. However, they still kept in touch through video calls and messages. During that time, Alfred, now a senior, worked extra hard, juggling schoolwork and sports, to get into WU. With Kiku gone, he went to the anime/game club less often and hung out with his sports friends. During his senior year, Alfred also went through a surprisingly late growth spurt and slowly attained the natural alpha attributes, such as jealousy, slight possessiveness, and the courage and will to assert dominance. Thus, during his conversations with Kiku, whenever the Japanese beta would talk about his new omega friend and roommate, Alfred's would feel the flames of jealousy in his chest, but would never show that side to Kiku. His new alpha-like attributes however, helped him become even more popular, and had to deal with confessions from omegas and betas left and right. Time flew by and Alfred got accepted to W University, lifting his spirits immediately. The alpha then decided to visit Kiku and take a look around the campus during the weekend of Kiku's spring break. Kiku, of course, was happy to host Alfred and show him around the campus.

Before Alfred knew it, that weekend had arrived and he found himself rushing towards the Japanese beta and crushing him in a tight hug. Kiku, who was still not used to being hugged as a greeting, got extremely flustered and tried to pry away.

"Sorry about that, Kiku, I forgot that you're not very big on hugging," Alfred apologized as he released the poor beta.

"It's alright, Alfred-san. I am glad you got accepted here," Kiku replied. "Shall we go back to my room first to drop off your bag?"

"Sure!" Alfred agreed, his heart thumping a little faster at the thought of seeing Kiku's room.

Alfred gazed at Kiku's form as he followed the older beta. _"He hasn't changed a bit. Still the same old Kiku,"_ Alfred thought with a small smile. "I bet his room's super clean too. Unless his…roommate isn't." Alfred groaned internally. _"Right, I guess I'll be meeting his roommate, huh. Why does Kiku talk about him so much? Is he that great? Is it because he's an omega who managed to get into college? How does he have a bigger impact on Kiku that I do? Me, who's been Kiku's friend longer? Have they promised to be mates? What if they've already bonded? What happens during his heats? ARGH stupid older omega…"_ Alfred's internal monologue continued until they reached Kiku's room, and he only snapped out of his stupor after Kiku called his name multiple times.

"Um, Alfred-san? We're here." Kiku announced as he fished his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. "Arthur-san, I'm back."

"Welcome back Kiku." Alfred's ears perked up at the stranger's voice. The stranger had an accent, probably from somewhere in England. The alpha peeked at the stranger from over Kiku's shoulder and was suddenly overcome with a plethora of emotions. He had short blond hair, a different shade from Alfred's, and bright green eyes that seemed to hold a lot of strength and determination.

 _"He's…actually pretty good looking. No wonder Kiku goes on and on about him. NO! He's competition! Hey, he has a nice scent too, although it's faint. It's a nice change from Kiku not having one…but is he okay? Is an omega supposed to have that faint of a scent?"_ Another feature of the omega soon caught Alfred's attention. _"Wow, his eyebrows are huge, but it's a nice huge."_ Unfortunately for Alfred, out of all the things he could have said as a greeting, the first thing he said was the last thing he thought.

"Wow, your eyebrows are huge…but it's a nice huge." Kiku chuckled as soon as the sentence was said while the omega stared at Alfred with an open mouth, then sharpened his stare to a glare. "That wasn't a very good first impression was it?"

"It definitely was not," the omega bitterly replied and folded his arms.

"Please excuse Alfred-san, Arthur-san," Kiku apologized between chuckles. "He is not very eloquent when expressing himself."

"I suppose I'll let this one go," Arthur sighed. He got up from his desk, walked towards Alfred and extended his hand. "My name is Arthur Kirkland. Pleased to meet you."

Alfred took his hand and gave a firm handshake. "I'm Alfred F. Jones. Nice to meet you! Sorry about the eyebrow comment, honestly. I really wasn't thinking when I said that."

"It's alright, everyone else I've met commented on my eyebrows before, so I'm not surprised. Everyone except Kiku that is," Arthur explained.

Kiku gave a small nod. "I thought that it would be rude to bring it up when we first met so I avoided it."

"Hey Kiku, d'ya wanna show me around campus?" Alfred interrupted, trying to dissipate the comfortable atmosphere the beta and omega were creating.

"Ah, yes, of course," Kiku answered. "You can put your bag on my chair. Also, Arthur-san, would you like to join us on our tour?"

Alfred walked over to the empty chair to dump his bag and almost immediately felt small stings of jealousy. He turned his head to glare at Arthur, hoping that the omega would get the message. _"Let me and Kiku go alone. You can hang out with him whenever you like anyway."_ Alfred couldn't keep up his glare for long though. Arthur's and Alfred's eyes met and somehow, Arthur's stare managed to calm Alfred bout of jealousy, making Alfred soften his glare and turn away. _"He has really pretty eyes too. I…can say I won't even be surprised if him and Kiku have already promised to be mates. …Wow, that was unexpected. Why am I giving up so early? This isn't like me!"_

Alfred glanced at Arthur again and saw the omega wrinkle his nose, as if he could detect a mess of scents. "Oops, I need to keep my emotions under control. Unless he can detect my disapproval?" Alfred became slightly hopeful that Arthur wouldn't come, but that hope didn't last long.

In the end, Arthur agreed to go with them, disregarding the signals the alpha was giving off. "Sure, I'll tag along. I've already finished the paper I've been working on."

"You have been working too much, Arthur-san. You need to take a break," Kiku suggested.

"This will be my break," Arthur answered. "Well, let's go."

—–---------------

As Arthur and Kiku were showing Alfred around campus, Alfred kept sending short glares towards the omega, especially when he felt like Kiku and Arthur were too close. Whenever Arthur would catch him, Alfred quickly turned away and stared straight ahead. The trio took a short break at an on-campus café, which allowed Alfred and Kiku more time to catch up. Kiku, of course, kept bringing Arthur into the conversation which irked Alfred a little, but he figured it would be rude if Arthur was left out, so in the end, Arthur ended up learning a lot about Alfred and Kiku's high school lives. Alfred also found out, surprisingly, that although he looked forward to spending time with Kiku, he liked talking with Arthur too. From the conversation Alfred now knew that Arthur was originally from London, this was his first time in America, and it took him almost the whole first semester to get adjusted to his new life. Kiku added that even when Arthur was dealing with homesickness, the Brit still managed to get straight A's in his classes and make Dean's List.

"How do you do that?!" Alfred enthusiastically asked, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You even got Kiku to praise you in academics, which isn't easy!"

Kiku commented, "Arthur-san is very passionate." Which made Alfred choke a little on his coffee. "He even applied to be an RA next year. I keep telling him that he should not be taking on too many responsibilities, but he would not listen."

"I'm not that busy, Kiku," Arthur mumbled.

"That is a lie, Arthur-san. You are currently our first year representative, have joined multiple clubs, and have two jobs," Kiku chastised. "If you keep this up your health will be greatly affected."

Alfred watched as Kiku and Arthur talked, an uneasy feeling pooling in his stomach. He was sure there was a hint of jealousy included, but there was another feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint. Was it concern? Was he concerned for Arthur's health as well? "His omega scent was pretty faint. Is he eating well enough? Does he get enough sleep?" The alpha wondered why he had these thoughts, when he was sure that he wouldn't even like Arthur. After all, why would he like someone who stole his crush away from him?

Suddenly, Kiku's cell phone started ringing. He took a look at the screen and excused himself. "I am afraid I must take this call. I promised my family that I would talk with them. Alfred-san, is it okay if I leave you in Arthur-san's hands for now?"

"Yeah, no problem! You should go talk to your family," Alfred reassured. Kiku gave a short nod and walked out of the café.

"Alright, Alfred, now may I ask you why you were sending me so many mixed signals during the day?" Arthur abruptly asked. "One moment I'd see you glaring at me, sending me warning signals, and the next second you would calm down and I'd detect embarrassment."

The alpha blinked a couple of times in surprise, but quickly answered, "Oh, uh, you should ignore those…"

"I certainly will not, Jones," the omega challenged. "Now tell me why you were acting the way you were."

"Ok, ok!" Alfred gave in. "I was just frustrated that you and Kiku get along so well, so I assumed you were already dating or have already promised to be mates, but I've like Kiku since high school and I've known him longer so I thought you stole him away from me and I didn't like that." Alfred revealed everything quickly, in one breath and took a large gulp of air once he was finished. "So… yeah, that's why."

Arthur had his chin propped on his hands as he let himself slowly decode and process Alfred's extremely fast speech. "Hold on. So, all this time…you thought Kiku and I were dating?" Arthur slowly repeated. Alfred looked straight into Arthur's eyes and nodded. What the alpha expected was Arthur confirming his suspicion or, even though this is rare for omegas, challenge Alfred. What he didn't expect was for Arthur to burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Alfred asked, a little offended that Arthur would laugh at him after he had told him about his crush on Kiku.

"I can't believe that you thought we were dating!" Arthur wheezed between his laughs. "Oh Alfred, I am just very good friends with Kiku. We have very similar work ethics and habits so it's natural that we would get along well."

Alfred's alpha side, which thought that Arthur was laughing at him and berating him, threatened to surface, but the more logical side of him knew that that wasn't the case. Alfred's head then perked up at an idea. "Hey Arthur, if you guys aren't dating may I ask you for a favor?"

"It depends on what type of favor it is, lad," Arthur replied. Before Alfred could say anything, Arthur continued, "Wait, let me guess. Do you want my help so that you can get Kiku to return your feelings?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah. I know it's a bit awkward to ask you since I just met you and everything but it'd be great if you could…"

"Well, it all depends on if Kiku," Arthur interrupted. "I respect Kiku's feelings and if he doesn't see you in that way at all, then there is no point in me helping you change his feelings."

"Kiku's already a good friend of mine. I'm not going to force him into feeling anything for me," Alfred growled, a bit ticked off that Arthur would suggest that Alfred wanted to manipulate Kiku's feelings. "I just want some help from you as a wingman. It's mainly for the rest of this semester, since I'll be coming here after I graduate. By that time, I won't bother you as much, and if I see that Kiku will never be interested in me as a mate, I'll back off."

Arthur, pressured by the angry signals the alpha was emitting, unknowingly shrunk back in his seat. The omega cleared his throat. "Very well. I will…help you but only on certain occasions."

Alfred's previous mood immediately vanished and his face lit up as he reverted back to his happy-go-lucky personality. "Thanks Arthur! Oh, and sorry for that. I just got a bit pissed off that you'd think that I'd force Kiku in something he doesn't want."

Arthur visibly relaxed. "It's…quite alright. I supposed it's also my fault for jumping to conclusions."

Alfred gave Arthur a bright smile. "So we're cool then! Since you'll be acting as my wingman why don't we exchange numbers?" Alfred looked at Arthur expectantly with his phone already in his hands.

Arthur sighed and fished out his phone so that the two of them could exchange numbers. "You'd better not call me for anything unnecessary," Arthur warned.

"Ok, ok, don't worry, I won't!" Alfred reassured while laughing softly. "Thanks agains for agreeing to this, Arthur."

"Yes, yes, you're welcome," the omega replied.

And thus, a new friendship was born between the two and would continue to bloom throughout the rest of the semester, even until after Alfred arrived at W University as a first year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this on my tumblr amd (teddiehtet) too, so if you guys want you can check it out there!
> 
> This is my 2nd Hetalia fic, with my first one being a one-shot, and I decided to contribute to the fandom by writing about my Hetalia OTP, USUK! I've always been a huge fan of the omegaverse, and I've read a lot of omegaverse fics. I never thought that I'd try writing one, since I was afraid I'd butcher America's and England's characters in this universe. But… I wanted to take the challenge, so here it is! At first, I only thought about doing a one-shot, but once I got this idea, I thought that either a two-shot or a 3 chaptered fic would be better. Also, please tell me if you think I'm butchering anyone's character, because I'm concerned that I am. I hope everyone had fun reading this and I hope no one was bothered by the one-sided Ameripan here! USUK is endgame though. ^_^ (Also, dork Alfred gives me life.)
> 
> Some info about this omegaverse. It's basically traditional omegaverse, but in this universe, any type can take any other type as mates. For example, alphas traditionally take omegas as mates, but here, they can also take betas and other alphas. However, the rest is basically traditional omegaverse. The omegas go through heats and alphas are the ones who can help them the most during the heats. Betas can also do so, but they are not as comforting as alphas are. Omegas and alphas can sense pheromones and emit them while betas can't. However, they are extremely good at reading facial expressions. The traditional pair is alpha/omega, but here, other pair types are also steadily increasing. That's why it wasn't weird for Alfred to have a crush on Kiku or for Alfred to think that Arthur and Kiku were dating.
> 
> I'd love it if you guys could give me some feedback! ^^


	2. Chapter 2

Time flew by, and the whole time, Alfred kept in touch with Arthur, trying to get him to talk about Kiku. There were also times when Alfred and Arthur just talked about themselves. They would tell each other about how their days went (with Alfred trying to sneak in a question about Kiku's day but Arthur changed the subject) and just have small talk with each other. That was when Alfred learned about Arthur's pet peeves, his likes and dislikes, his childhood back in England, and his plans for the future. Arthur, in turn, would learn the same things about Alfred. Before they knew it, Alfred's graduation was right around the corner.

The blond alpha invited both Kiku and Arthur to the graduation and both of them attended. Even though Kiku was planning to fly back to Japan on that day, Alfred managed to convince him to stay a bit longer, with Arthur's help. Then came the summer, when Alfred spent the days talking and bonding with his family, hanging out with some of his high school classmates, emailing his future roommate named Toris, a beta from Lithuania, and video chatting with both Kiku and Arthur, who had gone back to Japan and England, respectively.

Soon, it was move in day and orientation for Alfred, who was ecstatic to see Kiku and Arthur again. Arthur and Kiku both had to return early for training; Arthur for RA training and Kiku for mentor training. They weren't roommates anymore, since Arthur got a single because he was RA, but Arthur could drag another person to live in the single room beside his, with a shared bathroom. So, he dragged Kiku. Alfred envied them for getting singles and a shared bathroom.

"We're living in the same hall anyway, so can I come over and use your bathroom instead of the communal one?" Alfred once asked.

Kiku didn't mind if Alfred did so, but Arthur refused at first. After a lot of puppy dog faces and pleading from Alfred, the omega gave in and agreed. "Thanks Arthur! It's awesome when your friend is also your RA," Alfred beamed.

The trio caught up with each other before classes started. When the topic of picking majors came up, Kiku announced that he decided to be a biology and computer science double major. "I am very interested in biology, especially alpha/beta/omega biology, and hope to either teach or work at a research lab one day. However I also want to incorporate my hobby into my studies, so I decided to do a double major," was what Kiku told his friends.

Arthur said that he was still undecided but he was leaning towards a double major in psychology and English. Alfred gaped at his two friends, awed by their decisiveness and determination. He suddenly felt like he should work harder than he ever did to live up to their level, so that they'd be proud to call him their friend. And that's exactly what Alfred did as soon as his classes started. Since they were living in the same hall, there were multiple times when he would knock on Arthur's door to ask for help on his first year writing class assignments. Alfred also decided to take an intro to Computer Science class partly because he was curious and partly because he wanted an excuse to spend more time with Kiku.

As the semester went by, Alfred quickly made new friends and introduced them to Arthur and Kiku. It became a bit harder for the three of them to hang out as often, especially when it was midterm week. However, they still managed to spend time together in the library, when each of them was studying for their own exams or writing papers. Once, unfortunately for Arthur, Kiku was busy with his mentees and Alfred's antics would sometimes distract him.

"Whaaaat, both you **and** Kiku aren't going to the Halloween party?" Alfred whined. "Come oooon, it'll be fun!"

"Keep your voice down! You're in the library." Arthur hissed. "And you're just saying that because you want to see Kiku in a costume."

Alfred lightly blushed and chuckled nervously. "You're kinda right. But that's not all though! It'll be a great break for you too. Isn't being an RA and working two jobs stressful?"

"Honestly, it is, especially with residents like you," Arthur lightly jabbed.

Alfred gasped and feigned a hurt look. "Artie, that was mean."

"I will never understand why you insist on using that blasted nickname," Arthur mumbled as he flipped a page of his book.

"It's a much brighter name than plain old Arthur," Alfred retorted with his signature megawatt smile. "Besides, doesn't that show exactly how close we are?"

"If my memory serves me, I believe you didn't quite like me the first time we met," Arthur reminded.

"Psh, that was a long time ago Artie," Alfred brushed off while Arthur followed up with "No it's not." Alfred ignored Arthur's little commentary and continued, "Anyway, come with me to the party, Artieeee! I know Kiku won't go unless you go too!"

Before Alfred could bombard Arthur with his pleading the omega held up hand to shush the alpha. "Alright, alright, you stubborn alpha. I'll…I'll go. And I'll convince Kiku to go too."

"Yes!" Alfred did a fist pump and enveloped Arthur in a bear hug enthusiastically. "Thank again Artie! You're the best!"

Feeling a bit awkward, Arthur just patted Alfred's forearms as a "you're welcome" gesture.

 _"Artie does smell really nice. I can smell the black tea he always drinks. And…roses? They blend really nicely. His scent…actually got a bit stronger than the first time we met."_ Alfred got lost in his thoughts as he hugged the omega a little bit tighter, dragging both Arthur and his chair closer to him. _"Why was his scent so weak in the first place? Is it cuz he's not fertile? He doesn't really act like an omega. Then again, I don't really act like an alpha most of the time… didn't really start acting like one until senior year."_

"Alfred?" Arthur whispered, with a slight tint of nervousness in his voice.

Said alpha only buried his nose in the omega's hair as a response. Unconsciously, Alfred took a whiff of Arthur's scent, sending delightful tingles along the omega's spine.

"Alfred?" Arthur called again, his voice becoming more strained.

The alpha responded with a low growl. At this point Arthur could sense the attraction pheromones the alpha was emitting. His body naturally relaxed but his mind was panicking. Alfred was now moving his head from Arthur's hair to his neck, nuzzling into the soft flesh there. His arms, which were once wrapped around the omega's upper body, slowly slid down to encircle Arthur's waist. The air around them was so saturated by Alfred's pheromones by now that Arthur's mind had to fight tooth and nail to keep his body from reacting to the alpha's advances and to try and calm his rapid heartbeat. Arthur half-heartedly tried to push Alfred away, but even though Arthur was strong for an omega, he couldn't push off Alfred, who had a larger body. His half-hearted push also wasn't going to make the alpha budge.

No matter how many times Arthur whispered Alfred's name, the alpha wouldn't snap out of his stupor. Only one thing was floating through Alfred's mind at the moment.

_Mine_

The alpha slowly licked Arthur's soft neck, as if it was a delicious dessert one had saved for last, earning a sharp gasp from the omega. Before he could go any farther, he felt a sharp smack on the side of his head.

"Alfred!" Arthur finally hissed.

The stunned alpha released the omega and looked around him. Other students in the library were awkwardly shuffling around, trying to give Alfred and Arthur some privacy while others were looking at them disdainfully for committing an act like that in the library. Alfred panicked when he remembered what he just did. He was about to profusely apologize to Arthur, but then gawked at the state the omega was currently in.

As a response to Alfred's actions, Arthur was also emitting attraction pheromones. The omega's cheeks were tinted pink. His breaths came out in short puffs, and his eyes, which were avoiding the alpha's intense gaze, shone like emeralds. Alfred's alpha senses almost went haywire, but the logical side of his mind forced his body to calm down.

"S-Sorry about that, Artie. I really don't know what came over me," Alfred sincerely apologized.

"It's…It's okay. I—Excuse me, Alfred." Arthur then grabbed his bag and quickly trotted out of the library with his face still flushed.

Alfred felt extremely guilty about his actions. "What is wrong with me? Why would I do that to him? Why? Just…" He continued struggling with his emotions and for the rest of his time in the library, he couldn't get any work done. All that occupied his mind was Arthur.

The way the omega's faint scent stirred his alpha senses. The way the omega tasted when Alfred licked his neck. The deliciously disheveled look the omega sported after Alfred came back to his senses. Anything and everything he thought of was about Arthur.

 _"I need to calm down,"_ Alfred chastised himself. _"I hope he's ok. I really don't want to ruin our friendship. Ugh, you're an idiot, Al! An idiot!"_

\--------------------------------------------------

Arthur never came back to the library so Alfred kept the books he left on the table and tried to find Arthur for the rest of the day to apologize one more time, but he couldn't find him anywhere. Alfred knocked multiple times on Arthur's door but he never got an answer. Arthur also didn't show up to dinner, leaving Alfred alone with Kiku. At any other time Alfred would have been thrilled to be eating with Kiku, but his regrets latched onto him and soured his mood immensely.

"Alfred-san, you seem very troubled," Kiku commented.

Alfred sighed. "Please, please don't think I'm a terrible alpha Kiku," he pleaded.

The Japanese beta raised one of his eyebrows in curiosity. "Did you do something, Alfred-san?"

The alpha reluctantly nodded. He didn't really want to tell Kiku, but he knew he had to. Arthur was practically Kiku's best friend. Kiku never got mad when someone insulted him, but whenever Arthur or any of his close friends was involved, there was no end to his wrath.

"Don't get too mad, alright?" Alfred took a deep breath and muttered, "I…might have…um…attacked Arthur this afternoon…sort of."

Alfred braced himself for Kiku's anger or expected some type of lecture, but none of them came. Instead Kiku just sighed and shook his head. "Alfred-san, by attacked, did you mean…"Kiku trailed off, not wanting to say anything else, but Alfred got the message.

The alpha nodded. "Yeah. It's just. I don't know what came over me. When we first met, I noticed that his scent was really weak, but I didn't really think about why it was. This afternoon, his scent was stronger than before and it was just really…um, really…" Alfred blushed heavily, realizing that he was revealing all of this to Kiku. Kiku, who he had a crush on since high school. Why would he reveal his attraction to another person to the guy he actually had a crush on?

"Thank you for telling me this, Alfred-san. I will need to speak to Arthur-san. Also, I do not think you need to be this embarrassed," Kiku gently spoke. "It is natural to be attracted to someone you like isn't it?"

The gears in Alfred's brain stopped turning for a moment. "W-Wait, hold on," Alfred started. "What do you mean?"

Kiku chuckled and repeated, "It is normal to be attracted to someone you like, isn't it?"

"But…I don't like Arthur?" Alfred half-asked, half-stated.

"Oh, Alfred-san, even a ten year old can see that you really do like Arthur-san," Kiku replied.

"Um…I don't think I like Arthur," Alfred repeated. "I mean, there's someone else I like."

"Oh? And who is this someone?" Kiku slyly asked.

"Uh, I can't really tell you yet!" Alfred blurted. "But yeah, there's someone else I like, and I'm pretty sure I'd want to date him, so there's no way I'd be attracted to Arthur!"

"But do you really still like that person, Alfred-san?" Kiku questioned. "Does that person affect you in any way? When he sits near you, do you feel nervous? When he talks to you, do you feel happy? When you spend time together, do you enjoy every minute of it?"

Before Alfred could answer, Kiku interrupted, "I suggest you evaluate your feelings once more. If you are sure that you still like the person, maybe you should confess?"

Alfred nervously laughed. "Yeah, that's…what I plan to do sometime in the future."

"Well, just give yourself some time. Give Arthur-san some time as well. Also, just to let you know, Arthur-san will probably be missing a few days of class and tests." Kiku then collected his empty plate and walked away.

Alfred shoved the rest of his dinner in his mouth, took his plate, and followed Kiku. "Wait Kiku, do you think Arthur's sick?"

"I would not say it's a sickness," Kiku answered. "I assume you know omega biology, Alfred-san."

"Oh. Ohh." Alfred slapped his forehead, finally realizing what Kiku was hinting at. But there was still something else that bothered him. "Hold on. I don't remember him missing any classes before though. Don't heats generally come once a month?" Another idea formed in his mind. "Is it because he's not fertile enough? Are his heats more spread out? Is that why his scent was so weak when I first met him?"

"Generally omegas do get their heats once a month. However, I did not confirm that it was a heat." Alfred tilted his head, clearly confused while Kiku continued, "I will only tell you this much, Alfred-san. The rest of the story is Arthur-san's to tell."

Alfred and Kiku got rid of their empty plates and started walking back to their dorm. "But I can't even find Arthur anywhere. If he is in heat right now shouldn't he be in his room?" Alfred asked. "I tried knocking on his door but he never answered.

"I am sure he is back in his room by now," Kiku replied. "Also, I do not think it would be a good idea for Arthur-san to answer the door in the state that he is in."

"Kikuuuu why're you being so mysterious?" Alfred whined. "Do you think he's doing ok though? Does he have anything to eat? He probably has something to eat in his mini fridge right? Should we bring back something for him?"

Kiku smirked as he listened to Alfred worriedly ramble on about Arthur. _"When will he find out that one can fall in love without realizing it, I wonder,"_ the beta thought.

\--------------------------------------------------

Midterm week finally ended, and the whole time, Alfred decided to not bother Arthur. Alfred claimed that he was "giving Arthur some alone time" and that "Arthur can talk to him whenever he's ready". Kiku was impressed by Alfred's tolerance, since he was not well known for being patient. When Arthur finally joined Alfred and Kiku during a dinner, the alpha was so ecstatic that he resembled an overly enthusiastic dog welcoming his master home, which brought out small laughs from Kiku.

"Arthur! You're back!" Alfred enthusiastically announced, almost pouncing on the omega, but held himself back.

"I have to apologize, Alfred. I'm truly sorry for my behavior these past few days," Arthur announced, feeling a bit guilty about his actions.

"Nah, don't worry too much about it," Alfred reassured. "If you don't really feel like telling me what went on you don't really have to."

"I—I was actually thinking of talking to you after dinner if you have the time," Arthur confessed. He turned to Kiku. "I already told Kiku everything during our first year, and I believe that you should know about my situation as well."

"Ok. I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me," Alfred said, then smiled. "Have you talked to the professors about making up for your midterms yet?"

"Yes, I have emailed all of them and have scheduled make up tests already," Arthur answered. The trio then returned to eating, as if nothing awkward happened between the alpha and omega.

\--------------------------------------------------

Alfred and Arthur returned to Arthur's room after dinner while Kiku went to meet with his friends from the Asian/Asian American Club. When Alfred entered Arthur's room, his nose picked up on a peculiar scent. He could recognize Arthur's natural scent but it was faint, and was mixed with other scents, as if Arthur was trying to get rid of his own scent from his room.

Alfred jumped up onto Arthur's bed nonchalantly and urged, "Ok Artie, so what's the story?"

Arthur sat down in his chair and wordlessly reached into one of his desk drawers to pull out a small vial that looked similar to a bottle of perfume, and a bottle of pills. "Do you know what these are, Alfred?" Arthur asked. The omega handed the objects over to Alfred so that the alpha could take a closer look at them.

"Hold on, are these pills suppressants? And isn't this a product that's supposed to mask scents and pheromones?" Alfred questioned.

"Yes," Arthur confirmed. "And I heard from Kiku that you thought I was in heat during the past few days. Well, what you thought wasn't wrong, but it wasn't completely right either."

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked.

"When omegas have their heats, they usually last four or five days, and it's a period where we are most fertile," Arthur explained. "As you may already know, omegas are able to…relieve ourselves of our constant need to mate during that time by using toys or by actually bonding with…with an alpha." Arthur started fidgeting and pausing at certain words. The omega was getting slightly uncomfortable explaining his situation to Alfred. "Sorry Alfred, it's just a little difficult for me to tell you everything."

"It's no problem at all Artie! If you're not ready you don't have to tell me," Alfred soothed.

"No. No, I will tell you. I—I trust you enough to not judge me," Arthur confided. He took a deep breath, let it out, and continued, "Usually heats are not very damaging to omegas, since it is supposed to be a natural process. Heats aren't supposed to put too much stress on an omega's body and mind. Some omegas do have a hard time during heats but almost never painful enough to be damaging. My heats, however, are damaging...damaging enough that I—I had to be rushed to the hospital when I was a teenager."

At this point Alfred jumped off the bed and stood beside Arthur. The alpha soothingly rubbed Arthur's back, trying to calm the omega down. "You're sending out distress signals, Arthur," Alfred pointed out.

"Am I?" Arthur chuckled with an empty voice. "I didn't notice."

"Are you still alright telling me?" Alfred asked again.

"Yes, I am," Arthur reconfirmed. "My first heat wasn't too bad. I thought all the other heats would be the same. But by my sixth heat, it was unbearable. None of my toys were helping at all and the stress of not having a mate beside me took such a large toll on my body. The pain was…indescribable. The need to be filled was insatiable and it felt like every part of my body was on fire, as if white, hot knives were being plunged into my stomach. I researched on what heats were supposed to be like, and my symptoms were not normal. Other omegas have said that their body feels hot during heats, but never hot enough to be painful."

Alfred's hands stopped rubbing Arthur's back and instead, reached for Arthur's smaller hands. The alpha silently used his thumbs to stroke the omega's knuckles in a calming manner. Arthur continued, "My family was extremely worried. I had a talk with them about my heats and how they became increasingly unbearable. My parents decided to take me to go see a doctor. We found out that I was one of the few omegas with a rare heat disorder. The doctor gave me two options. He said that my heats would get worse unless I find and bond with an alpha or I could take suppressants to help minimize my heats to once every four months, and to help dull the pain. At that time, I had no one in mind that I wanted to bond with. To be honest, I didn't have many friends in England. Just an idiotic French flirt. So, I decided on taking the suppressants."

"But…are they starting to wear off?" Alfred asked quietly. One of his hands was still holding Arthur's while his other hand reached up to brush Arthur's bangs away. He continued to stroke Arthur's hair. All of Alfred's actions were successfully in calming Arthur, since the omega was talking much more comfortably. "When you ran from me in the library was it the start of a heat?"

"The suppressants are starting to wear off," Arthur confirmed. "The doctor warned that they wouldn't work forever, only for a few years. When I ran from you, I…my body was preparing itself for a heat, but I know I'm not supposed to have a heat this month because of the suppressants. It turned out to be a false alarm. However I think that your pheromones set off a trigger. I suppose it's a sign. I know that the suppressants aren't going to work in the next few months, and my body will slip back into having heats every month."

"I hope you don't mind me asking this, but how come you haven't tried to find a mate yet?" Alfred cautiously asked.

"It's not easy, Alfred," Arthur answered. "Like you, my doctor also encouraged me to find a mate while the suppressants still work. My parents were worried that I wouldn't be able to find a mate by the time the suppressants wear off, so they told me beforehand that they would find a partner for me if I don't have a mate by..." Arthur stopped to think and did mental calculations. "By next semester." He spoke the last part in a whisper, as if he couldn't believe that it was so soon.

"That's a little old school, don't you think?" Alfred joked lightly, trying to lighten the omega's mood.

"Next semester, huh," Arthur mumbled, not hearing Alfred's attempt to lighten the mood. "It's impossible. Who would want an omega with a disorder like me? Who would willingly bond with an omega who is going to be extremely clingy during his heats and who needs constant reassurance? I know I have a demanding nature. I have no redeeming qualities, except for the fact that I'm doing fairly well in college. My looks aren't special, and even though I'm an omega, according to my brothers, I can't even cook well," Arthur gushed. He could feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall. "On top of everything, what alpha would want to bond with an omega like me?"

"Stop that right now." Alfred's command cut through sharply. He didn't raise his voice, but calmly continued, "You may think you're no good, but Arthur, you don't realize how amazing you are. And I'm not saying this just because we're good friends."

"Al…"

"Can't you see that everything you're doing right now is amazing?" Alfred asked. "How can you say you're doing 'fairly well' when you've gotten straight A's since your first year? You've joined multiple clubs, you have two jobs, you were the first year representative, and now you're an RA. And didn't you mention that you were on scholarship too?" Arthur nodded. "Don't ever think less of yourself."

Somewhere along his speech Alfred had gathered Arthur into a comforting hug. The alpha emitted waves of calming pheromones, a natural reaction to an omega in distress. Arthur naturally returned the hug. His distressed signals were reduced and replaced by a soothing, pleasurable scent in response to Alfred.

The alpha rubbed Arthur's back. "Do you feel better?"

"I—Yes. Thank you, Alfred." Arthur then pulled away from the hug. "You have been a great friend to me this whole time. It almost feels like I've known you for much longer."

"Same here," Alfred agreed. "I'm glad Kiku introduced you. Also, don't worry too much about finding a mate. I think the alphas here are just scared to approach you because you're such an amazing person. I'm sure you're much more accomplished than any alpha here are!"

Thanks to Alfred, some of Arthur's good mood returned, and he chuckled. "Does that include you, Alfred?" Arthur lightly teased.

"Oh, I definitely think you're much more accomplished than I am," Alfred answered. "Hey, why don't we hang out more with our alpha friends? If you want help, Kiku and I will gladly be your wingmen! The three of us know the same people. Oh, and I've heard a couple of alphas talk about how cute you are…"

"Okay, I'm going to hope that their little talk did not get too…detailed," a blushing Arthur interrupted.

"No, no, they're not those types of alphas," Alfred reassured. "Like I said, I'm sure you're very popular among alphas, Artie! They're just a bit…scared because you also give off a strong air of authority."

"That's exactly one of the reasons why I'll never find a mate," Arthur sighed, although not as dejected as before. "Apparently my authority and strong will is a turn off for many alphas. I know omegas are stereotyped to be weak and submissive, but I thought…I believe that we could be much more than that. I know that recently, there are many successful omegas, and I look up to them a lot. When I was young, my mother always encouraged me to be able to stand on my own two feet because one never knows what will happen in life." Arthur sighed again. "I guess my body just hates my mind, and decided that I'd have to depend on an alpha for the rest of my life. That's just—I just think that makes me weak."

"But that's just for your heats though," Alfred said softly. "I know that whatever you decide to do, you'll be successful, Artie. You're not depending on your future alpha all the time. When you bond and possibly start a family, you two will be depending on each other. It's a mutually dependent relationship, Artie. It doesn't mean that you, or anyone else, is weak. Just because you want someone to be there for you doesn't show weakness."

Arthur and Alfred stared at each other for a few good seconds. Arthur processed Alfred's words while Alfred hoped that Arthur would understand. Finally, Arthur smiled. "I suppose you're right Alfred. I'll think about my near future some more. Hopefully there really will be someone who's willing to bond with me."

Alfred flashed his signature smile, but in his heart he felt a bit unnerved. "That's the spirit, Artie!" Then as a joke he added, "Any alpha who doesn't want to bond with you needs to get their eyes and preferences checked."

That comment caused Arthur's smile to fall slightly. He muttered something under his breath but Alfred never caught what the omega said, except for small bits and pieces. Alfred deduced that Arthur was actually talking about him, from hearing the words "what", "your", "stupid", and "alpha".

"What was that, Artie?" Alfred asked, wanting to hear the whole comment.

"It's nothing," Arthur replied. "So you suggest we should start talking more with the alphas we're friends with?"

"Yeah! And then you guys can get a nice mood going and then you guys can go on dates and stuff!" Alfred thought about the situation a little more and said, "Actually, why don't I help you out? I'll set you up with one of my old friends!" Alfred enthusiastically suggested.

"At this point I don't even mind anymore," Arthur relented. "But please let this alpha friend of yours be a decent person."

"You don't have to worry about that, Arthur!" Alfred reassured. "He's a little wild but he's a great friend and although he doesn't look like it, he has a lot of respect for omegas. I remember him saying that he was looking to be in a relationship, so it's perfect!" Alfred fished out his phone from his pocket and started going through his pictures to find a picture of said alpha. "Here, he's the one in the middle," Alfred stated as he handed his phone to Arthur.

The alpha had snowy white hair and unusually red eyes, and he was smiling widely, with his arms swung around two other people. "He's not bad looking," Arthur admitted.

"He's sometimes full of himself, but other than that he's a great person," Alfred praised. "He was actually my senior in high school. We were on the same sports team and when he was captain, he was merciless! His training was super harsh, but in the end it all paid off," Alfred reminisced.

"Interesting. So what's his name, and is there anything I should be aware of about him?" Arthur asked.

"His name's Gilbert Beilschmidt and I don't think there's anything you should be careful of. I'm sure you two will get along really well," Alfred said.

"Alright. I trust your judgment, Alfred," Arthur agreed.

"Great! Here, I'll give you his number first. I'll text him later and then you two can start talking," Alfred suggested.

After the number exchange, Arthur said, "Oh, by the way Alfred, I managed to convince Kiku to go to the Halloween party with us." Arthur smiled, but for some reason, Alfred thought the smile didn't reach his eyes. Arthur's scent also seemed to change slightly, but to Alfred, it didn't smell like a good change. "That should make your night, right?"

"Really? Awesome! Thanks Arthur, you're the best!" Alfred thanked, but interestingly enough, he didn't feel as excited as he thought he would be. "I can't wait to see what costumes you guys will dress up in!"

"Honestly, I have no idea what costume Kiku's planning for me," Arthur admitted. "When I told him about the party and us having to wear costumes, he immediately assured me that he can make costumes for both of us and that I don't need to worry."

"Oh yeah, Kiku used to cosplay a lot in high school," Alfred remembered. "Oh, and let me know when you and Gil start talking! I wanna know how your love life goes."

"Fine, fine," Arthur sighed. "Although I am certainly not revealing anything private."

"Yeah, you keep those to yourself, Arthur. TMI," Alfred joked. "Anyway, I'll send him a text soon. Tell Kiku about this too. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to be your second wingman. Naturally, I'm going to be your number one wingman."

"I trust Kiku's advice more than I do yours, actually," Arthur half-teased.

Alfred sucked in a fake gasp. "Arthur, how could you! I thought I'd be your number one wingman, with me setting you up with a friend and all."

Arthur chuckled lightly. "Yes, yes, Alfred, you are my number one wingman."

Alfred smiled brightly. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Arthur. You look much better when you're laughing."

Hearing the alpha's praise, Arthur lightly blushed and shyly looked away from Alfred. "Well…thank you, Alfred. You always seem to know how to make me feel better."

"I actually think some people don't like me trying to cheer them up," Alfred confessed. "I'm sure they think I'm either too goofy or too annoying. Not very alpha-like."

"Well, they can go fuck off then," Arthur quietly muttered.

At this, Alfred burst out laughing. "Wow that's harsh! It's ok, as long as I can put a smile on my friends' faces, I'm happy. Especially yours, Artie!"

The omega felt another blush coming on, but the moment was shattered when Alfred added, "You frown too much. If you keep scrunching up your face you're going to get wrinkles!" Then before Arthur could retaliate, Alfred reached over and pulled the corners of Arthur's lips into a smile. The alpha lightheartedly laughed. "I knew it! You look so much cuter when you smile."

At this point Arthur didn't even know how to respond anymore. He's been subjected to Alfred's teasing ever since they became friends, but he hasn't been this touchy with Arthur before. Arthur could even categorize this as…possible flirting. Arthur's opinion was further confirmed by the small increase in happiness and attraction pheromones from Alfred. Unfortunately for Arthur, the alpha seemed to be oblivious to his own actions. After Alfred's laughter subsided, he stated, "Ok, I'm going to leave now. You can do homework or rest or do whatever you need to do. I'll text Gil then text you. Again, let me know what you think about him, ok? Good night Artie!"

With that, Alfred left Arthur's room. Once the alpha was gone, Arthur sighed and flopped down on his bed. "He's an idiot," the omega muttered. "But he's an extremely caring idiot. Kiku you lucky beta."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest I've ever written for a chapter…Usually I write around 1500 words per chapter, but this…this is like almost 6000 words! Hehe, oh and I'm a WorldxUK shipper, so I thought bringing in a little PrUK would be interesting. (Hopefully you guys won't mind.)
> 
> I'd like to thank my friend, Miyu for reading the chapter over before I post, and to my readers for reading this story! ^_^ Reviews are much appreciated. I love it when I receive feedback. Please let me know if there's anything I should improve on! (Pardon my grammar as well. I'm not a native English speaker so I feel like my grammar isn't too good… ) Constructive criticism is also appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

"How did you find the time to make these costumes, Kiku?" Arthur asked as he looked over the costume Kiku put together for him.

"I used to make many cosplay costumes in a short time, so making costumes for both of us was no problem," Kiku answered. "I made these during lunch, dinner, and some time when I don't have class."

"Sorry for asking you for this big of a favor, Kiku," Arthur apologized.

"It's no problem, Arthur-san. I enjoy making costumes so thinking of one for you was very easy," Kiku reassured.

"You really went all out with this costume though. It's extremely well made," Arthur praised. He ran his hand over the long, fancily embroidered red coat and white shirt spread out on Kiku's bed then picked up the matching pirate hat. Arthur observed the the hat, amazed at the intricate details. "Thank you so much."

"It's my pleasure, Arthur-san," Kiku replied. "Anything to help a friend. Also, pardon me for asking but how did your conversation with Alfred-san go?"

"Oh, it went really well," Arthur answered. "He took the news much better than I expected and, well, I ended up having a tiny breakdown in front of him."

"But Alfred-san managed to calm you down?" Kiku asked.

"Yes. Yes he did. He's very good at that too," Arthur confessed. "I also managed to get a date."

"With Alfred-san?" Kiku enthusiastically asked, his eyes glimmering with hope.

"No, with another alpha. A friend of his named Gilbert," Arthur replied.

Kiku sighed, exasperated by Alfred's obliviousness. "I'm very surprised that he still hasn't realized that he likes you, Arthur-san."

"Hell, Kiku, I don't know anymore," Arthur ranted. "One moment I think he's attracted to me but the next moment I get set up with another guy! It also doesn't help that I'm very attracted to him. Why in the world am I attracted to him?"

"Trust me Arthur-san. Alfred-san definitely likes you as well. He just hasn't realized it." Kiku chuckled. "Just like how he isn't aware that I know he used to have a crush on me."

"I'm still a bit surprised that you figured that out so easily," Arthur said.

"I may not be able to sense pheromones, but I think I am very good at reading peoples' actions," Kiku slightly boasted. "I knew Alfred-san had a small crush on me in high school, but I don't feel the same way about him. I am also a little surprised that you still keep giving him opportunities to be alone with me."

"Well, I did promise him that I'd help him."

"But I am very sure that his feelings for you right now are much stronger than the small crush he had on me."

"I'm just very confused," Arthur confessed. "It took me a while to admit it, but I believe that I...do like Alfred, and if I had to pick a mate, I would pick him. However, I only have until next semester, and I'm sure I'll scare him away if I told him or asked him to be my mate."

Kiku shook his head and sighed once more. "These two need to build more courage."

"Kiku, do you think I should still go on that date?" Arthur asked.

"It is entirely up to you. You can go on one date and see how it goes. What you do next is all up to your own feelings," Kiku advised.

"Thanks Kiku. You're the best friend I could ask for. You already do so much for me."

"You are a very important friend to me, Arthur-san, and I would like to see you happy," Kiku warmly said. "Go on your date and tell me how it goes."

"I will. Thanks Kiku." With that, Arthur texted Gilbert to pick a date and location to meet.  
\--------------------------------------------------  
Arthur surprisingly enjoyed talking to Gilbert. The albino reminded him a bit of Alfred. Both alphas were outgoing and easy to talk to. However, Gilbert was in the same year as Arthur and the omega found out that Gilbert and Alfred used to be on the same sports team in high school. As they talked more, Arthur discovered more stories about Alfred's and Gilbert's sports team shenanigans. They also talked about each other's personal interests.

"You're telling me you like punk music too?" Arthur gasped.

"Of course! Punk's awesome! I'm surprised I haven't met many people who like it, except you," Glibert answered.

"I have to admit, this is going better than I thought it would," Arthur said as he sipped his tea.

"Me too, actually. I've heard about how you can be a stick in the mud sometimes, but you're a cool guy!" Gilbert complimented.

"Ugh, did Alfred tell you that?" Arthur muttered.

Gilbert laughed. "Yeah, he did! I have to say though, he didn't really sound that happy on the phone when he told me about setting us up."

Arthur tilted his head in question. "He didn't sound happy?"

"Yeah. He sounded like he didn't really wanna set us up. He did sound enthusiastic at first, but by the end of the phone call he sounded like he didn't want to talk about it anymore," Gilbert elaborated.

"This was his idea in the first place," Arthur huffed. "He's such a confusing alpha."

"I've noticed this for a while now, but you talk a lot about Alfred, don't you?" Gilbert asked. Before a flustered Arthur could reply, Gilbert laughed and continued, "Don't worry, he talks a lot about you too during our phone calls, before he had the idea of setting us up."

"H-He does?" Arthur cautiously asked.

Gilbert nodded. "I'd even say he has a huge crush on you."

Arthur blushed even more and cleared his throat. "I...am not too sure about that."

"Ah well, the kid needs to act if he does like you," Gilbert shrugged. "Or else another alpha's gonna take you away."

Before Arthur could ask what Gilbert meant, the albino changed the subject, and soon, the two of them were talking as if they were old friends.  
\--------------------------------------------------  
"Artie, Artie, Artie, how'd it go?" Alfred asked when Arthur joined him and Kiku for dinner.

"It went surprisingly well," Arthur admitted. He detected a slight change in Alfred's scent, indicating that the alpha tensed up and was a little...disappointed. "I really enjoyed talking to Gilbert. We even have the same taste in music."

Alfred smiled, but both Kiku and Arthur noticed that the smile didn't really reach his eyes. "I'm glad you enjoyed the date Artie. Hey, if everything goes well, maybe you guys will end up being...end up being mates by...next semester."

Alfred trailed off into his own thoughts, worrying Arthur and Kiku slightly. "Alfred?" Arthur called while Kiku tapped him on his shoulder.

 _"Artie and Gil, huh? I really do want Artie to be happy, and he needs someone he can trust to bond with by next semester. I'd rather it be Gil than any other random alpha but...Them holding hands, laughing with each other, and kissing..."_ Alfred cut off his thoughts there. He felt a sharp pain in his chest when he tried to imagine Arthur's love life, where he wasn't involved. _"I'm jealous,"_ Alfred finally admitted to himself.

Arthur was starting to get worried since the alpha's pheromones were starting to go haywire, but at the same time, there was a tint of sadness among the anger. And...was that a slight, sour tinge of jealousy?

"Alfred-san," Kiku called again. Alfred looked up at his two friends and gave them a small smile.

"Sorry guys, I'm going to skip dinner tonight. I just remembered that I have homework that I need to turn in by 11 tonight. I'll see you guys at the Halloween party in two days?"

Arthur and Kiku both nodded and Alfred left the dining hall. "What was that about?" Arthur wondered.

"It looks like Alfred-san has conflicting emotions," Kiku replied. "He must be realizing that he does not want you to be with another alpha."

"Hm, I can't tell with him anymore," Arthur sighed. The two friends then spent the rest of dinner talking about Arthur's date and then retired to their own rooms.  
\--------------------------------------------------  
The night of the Halloween party, Arthur and Kiku dressed up in their respective outfits, as a pirate and a karasu-tengu, then attended the party together, along with Alfred, who was dressed in a cowboy suit.

"Wow, you made these costumes, Kiku?" Alfred asked, impressed.

Kiku nodded. "Yes I did." Kiku's whole body was adorned in black robes with folded black wings perched on his back.

"You're amazing! I think you've gotten even better than before! The tengu costume is definitely you," Alfred rambled.

The alpha observed Arthur closely, clearly intrigued by Kiku's choice of costume for him. "The pirate costume looks great on you Artie!" Alfred complimented. "That's such an understatement. He looks gorgeous! Ugh, why does Artie have to look this good in that costume..." A white shirt clung to Arthur's torso, paired with a pair of breeches and knee high boots. A fancy red coat majestically flowed down Arthur's slim body accentuating the omega's body structure even further. To top it off, a large hat with a feather sticking out donned Arthur's head, pushing down on his messy blond hair. In all honesty, Alfred knew the pirate costume would only look good on Arthur and no one else, and if Arthur wanted to, he would look menacing and it took all of the alpha's strength to not stare and ogle at the omega.

"Thank you, Alfred." Arthur glanced at his watch and said, "Well, I'd best wait for Gilbert outside."

Alfred froze. "Wait, Gil? He's coming?"

Arthur nodded. "I invited him. I hope you two don't mind."

"I am fine with that," Kiku answered.

"I don't mind at all!" Alfred quickly followed. "Not at all.."

"Okay then. I'm going to leave you two alone now. Have fun!" Arthur waved and pushed his way through the crowd to the door.

"You look tense, Alfred-san," Kiku observed.

"Huh? I-I'm not tense!" Alfred quickly defended.

"You are definitely tense," Kiku chuckled. "Are you jealous?"

Kiku's words seemed to slice through Alfred's heart. He sighed. "Jealous, huh? I...guess I am."

Kiku raised one of his eyebrows, not expecting that answer. "Hmm, you are finally admitting your feelings for Arthur-san, then?"

With a small smile, Alfred replied, "I...I do like Arthur. I can say I'm attracted to him. To be honest, I really liked you in high school and when I first met Arthur, I was jealous of him because you were much closer with him than you were with me. So, I wanted his help to get closer to you, and we did get closer. But somehow, Arthur made his way into my heart too, and before I knew it, he was the one I caught myself thinking about a lot of the time. I don't even know when my crush on you disappeared..."

"Finally, you admit it, Alfred-san," Kiku exasperatedly interrupted. "You do not know how long I have been waiting for you to finally admit your feelings for Arthur-san."

"Wait...you knew?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, I did. I was also aware that you had a crush on me in the past," Kiku replied, earning a small blush from Alfred. "But I can see that your feelings for Arthur-san are much stronger than the feelings you had for me. So, before any other person comes along and takes Arthur-san away, I suggest you take the first step."

"But what if Arthur doesn't even like me?" Alfred retorted. "He agreed to help me get together with you, and we're great friends and all but what if he doesn't like me in a romantic way?"

"Alfred-san...Arthur-san has the utmost trust in you. He told you about his unstable heats, his problems, and you both basically know each other's lives," Kiku answered. "Arthur-san has confided in me about his feelings and trust me when I tell you that Arthur-san will not turn you away if you take the initiative."

"You...You sure, Kiku?"

Kiku smiled. "Very sure, Alfred-san. Now go find Arthur-san."

"Okay. Thanks Kiku! You're the best!" With that, Alfred weaved through people to search for Arthur.

"Such troublesome friends they are," Kiku chuckled. "I hope they get their happy ending."  
\--------------------------------------------------  
_"No wonder I get so jealous when I imagine Artie's life without me. I...I really do like him,"_ Alfred thought. _"I want Arthur to be happy and I want to support him. If he decides to take Gil as his mate, then...then…"_ Alfred shook his head. _"I can't believe I didn't realize this until now. I really want Artie to be my mate."_

Alfred let his mind wander as different scenarios popped up in his head. Him and Arthur walking and laughing together, sharing food together, joking around together, and finally, kissing—

Alfred shook his head again, and tried to focus on finding Arthur. _"Where is he?"_ The alpha finally spotted Arthur laughing and chatting with Gilbert. The albino slung an arm around Arthur's shoulders and, much to Alfred's chagrin, Arthur didn't seem to mind at all. The duo continued their conversation, as if they were old friends, and Alfred once again felt the familiar sting of jealousy as he watched the pair. After taking a deep breath, Alfred walked over to the laughing duo.

"Hey Gil! It's nice to see you again," Alfred greeted.

"Al, how are you?" Gilbert responded. "You grew a lot, kid!"

"Thanks! Do you mind if I steal Arthur for a while?"

Arthur cocked his head in question while Gilbert answered, "Nah, I don't mind." Arthur shrugged his shoulders and followed Alfred.

"What's wrong Alfred?" Arthur asked once Alfred led them to a quieter part of the room.

"Uhh…" Alfred started. _"Well way to go Al. What can you say now? 'I really like you so please consider going out with me'? 'Won't you consider me as a potential mate'?"_ Alfred kept thinking of ways to confess to Arthur without sounding too rushed.

A moment of silence passed and Alfred still hadn't said anything. "Alfred?" Arthur called as he brought his face close to the alpha's. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Alfred was currently having a mental crisis.

 _"His face is too close! But he smells really nice. It's soothing…"_ Alfred let his thoughts trail as he let himself get lost in Arthur's scent, which led him to remember the times he spent with Arthur.

He clearly remembered how much fun he had with Arthur throughout the semester; how their friendship started off a bit awkward, but quickly sailed smoothly.

He remembered how well he got to know Arthur and how well Arthur got to know him as well.

He remembered when a flustered Arthur ran out of the library.

He could still vividly smell the omega's weak, but enticing pre-heat scent, the feel of his small waist captured in the alpha's arms, the taste of Arthur as he ran his tongue up the omega's smooth neck—

 _"Crap!"_ Alfred could feel his blood flowing south. _"…This isn't good. Focus, Al!"_

Alfred finally came back to reality and immediately met Arthur's eyes. The omega was staring at him with his bright, emerald green eyes, filled with concern. "Are you feeling alright, Alfred?" Arthur asked.

"Uh…yeah. I-I'm good," Alfred stuttered.

The alpha gulped. Only now was he aware of how close Arthur was and how mesmerizing his eyes actually were.

 _"How did I not notice this before?"_ Alfred chastised himself. _"That time when I made Arthur run out of the library, and this time, when I calmed him down. Did I not see this because I thought we were acting so naturally, as if we were…already mates?"_

"Alfred? Your face is getting a tad pale," Arthur commented. He placed his hands on Alfred's cheeks. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Y-Yeah!" Alfred squeaked. He grabbed Arthur's wrists and pulled the omega's hands off his face. "I need to go call my family to talk about Thanksgiving right now, but I'll see you later Artie!"

Arthur looked confused. "Thanksgiving is a month away, Alfred," he reminded. "Also, why would you drag me away just so you could call your family? We are also at a party."

"Uh..Our family plans it early!" Alfred defended. "And well, I wanted to ask uh…if you're free this Thanksgiving break?"

"Yes," Arthur replied slowly, still not understanding where Alfred was going with this.

"So uh, if you're free would you like to spend this Thanksgiving at my house? You can get closer to my family and everything!" Alfred offered, nervously. After Arthur didn't respond for a few seconds, Alfred gulped. _"Wow, this is the definition of an impulsive question. What am I actually doing? And why did I bring my family into this? Ughhhh this is so much harder than when I tried to confess to Kiku!"_

Meanwhile Arthur was having an internal debate of his own. _"Why is he asking me this? I don't actually mind going. A-And it's not like I'm happy that he's asking me…I should accept."_

However, the question that Arthur voiced was, "Are you sure you want to invite me and not Kiku?"

"I definitely want to invite you. Uh, I'm sure Kiku already has plans and stuff already, and I thought it'd be nice to have you over so that we can hang out together and stuff…" a flustered Alfred frantically explained, with a pink tint coloring his cheeks.

Arthur could smell Alfred's slight embarrassment. "A-Alright then. I accept your offer," Arthur replied. Alfred noticed a small blush appear on Arthur's cheeks as well, but didn't think too much of it. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you still interested in Kiku?"

"Uhh…Um, well…" Alfred stammered.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Arthur quickly retracted his question.

"No, no, no, it's ok!" Alfred said. "I—I think I stopped having a crush on Kiku some time ago… I don't even know when."

"Oh…I see," Arthur commented, trying to ignore the ticklish, giddy feeling in his stomach. "Does some other lad strike your fancy?" The omega added.

Alfred looked into Arthur's eyes once more and tried to maintain eye contact for a long time, but both of them ended up blushing furiously and averting their eyes.

Alfred exhaled a small sigh, wishing he had the courage to voice his thoughts. _"Yes. You, Arthur."_

"It's perfectly fine if you don't want to answer," Arthur quickly retracted his question. "I-I'm actually prying too much. Er, well, thank you for your invitation, Alfred. I suppose I should get back to Gilbert now. He's probably waiting…"

At the mention of Gilbert's name, Alfred's eyes darkened and he quickly grabbed Arthur's wrist as the omega started to turn away. The alpha then spun Arthur so that he faced Alfred again.

 _"Wh-What the… Why is he giving off such confusing signals?"_ Arthur thought, starting to get annoyed.

 _"Screw it all,"_ Alfred thought as he let his possessive alpha side take control. Alfred tugged Arthur closer to him and enveloped the smaller omega in a warm hug. "A-Al, what are you doing?" Arthur stuttered, suddenly having flashbacks of the awkward event in the library.

"You look really nice in this costume, Artie," Alfred complimented again. "And by nice I mean really sexy," the alpha purred in Arthur's ear as he removed Arthur's hat and dropped it.

The omega, now a blushing mess, wasn't able to say a single word. "To be honest, I just realized that I don't really like seeing you with another alpha," Alfred continued, in a deeper voice than usual. He buried his nose into the crook of Arthur's neck and inhaled the Arthur's sweet and slightly aroused scent. Now that Alfred's alpha side was in full control, he had no reservations in his actions. All he thought about was how to keep the omega he was attracted to by his side.

"A-Alfred," Arthur finally managed to stammer. The omega was annoyed, but at the same time he couldn't find the strength to pull away. "I-I really don't know what you're thinking. You've always given mixed signals and I- ah!" Arthur gasped as he felt Alfred nip at a sensitive spot on his neck. He could smell his own aroused scent, mixed with Alfred's, as it saturated the air. By this point alphas and omegas around them were giving them glares, as if telling them to get a room.

Alfred noticed the attention his actions were receiving. With a possessive growl, he released Arthur but grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the crowd and out of the building.

"Alfred! W-Wait! We should go back and tell Kiku or Gilbert-"

"It's fine. I have a feeling Kiku expected us to leave early."

"But I was the one who invited Gilbert. What kind of person would I be if I left my guest alone?"

Alfred tensed again at Gilbert's name. He remained silent, with his alpha senses going into overdrive, as he kept dragging Arthur back to their dorm.

 _"What in the world got into him?"_ Arthur asked himself. _"I've never seen him like this before. How can he act so much like...like an alpha now when most of the time he doesn't seem like one?"_ With an exasperated sigh, a blushing Arthur used his free hand to take out his phone and send a quick text to Gilbert.  
\--------------------------------------------------  
Alfred successfully got both of them into his room. Once the door was shut, Arthur asked, "Okay Alfred, what's gotten into you? You never act this way." Walking through the chilly air outside had snapped Arthur's self-control back in place and weakened the arousal he felt towards the alpha. Now, all Arthur knew was that he was annoyed with Alfred.

The chilly wind had the same effect on Alfred, as the alpha realized that he had just dragged Arthur away without even a word of goodbye to Kiku or Gilbert. "Shit, sorry Arthur. I let my alpha side go."

"Yes, I can see that," Arthur commented. "What was the trigger though?"

Alfred gulped. This was it. He was going to confess now, while there was no one else around to bother them. The alpha looked at Arthur straight in the eye. "You want me to be honest with you right, Artie?"

Arthur nodded. "And please give me a direct answer, Alfred. I've always been getting mixed signals from you and I don't know what to make of them. So please, I want a straightforward answer." Arthur took one step closer to Alfred. "Is something bothering you? Did Gilbert do something to you? Is that why you dragged me away? Please talk to me, Alfred." Arthur asked out of concern.

With the omega so close, Alfred couldn't help but envelop him in a hug again. Only this time, it was more comforting and warm rather than possessive. "Sorry, Artie," Alfred apologized. "I know I'm a confusing Alpha. Heck, I didn't even begin to act like an alpha until I was a high school senior. Sorry…I just wanted to...uh…"

Arthur could sense a spike in the alpha's nervousness so he wrapped his arms around Alfred and soothingly stroked his back. "Take you time. You don't have to rush."

"Thanks." Alfred lightly put his chin on the top of Arthur's head to help him relax. "Um, well, I invited you over for Thanksgiving because I...wanted to spend more time with you."

"And…?" Arthur urged while he kept stroking Alfred's back.

Alfred then released Arthur from the hug, but placed his hands on the omega's shoulders. "And I...I really...uh…"

 _"Was Kiku right? Does Alfred actually fancy me?"_ Arthur thought as he waited for Alfred to continue. _"I don't want to get my hopes up. It's...probably not what I think."_

"I just really...really…" Alfred kept pausing, even though he decided to confess to Arthur. "I really...get uneasy when I see you with other alphas."

"Yes, you've said that," Arthur reminded with a crooked smile. "You were the one who set me up with Gilbert though."

"Yeah, I know. But I found out that I didn't feel comfortable with him being your mate."

"He's a good person though," Arthur defended. "On top of that, he's your good friend."

"But...but I don't think he's a good match for you."

"So who do you think is a good match for me?"

"Uh...I think that...that you should bond with someone you're really close with rather than rush bonding with someone you don't know very well yet," Alfred answered. "So well, um, what I actually wanted to say is…" Alfred could feel his cheeks burning from embarrassment, and took a deep breath. He brought Arthur closer and touched their foreheads together, earning a blush from the Englishman. "Artie, you're an amazing person. You've heard me say that a lot of times, and I-I really l-li…"

Suddenly the door banged open and the blond outside called out, "Toris! Thanks for letting me borrow your textbook! Oh...he's not here." The intruder noticed the alpha and omega couple but seemed unfazed by their closeness. "Hey, aren't you Toris's roommate? Can you give him back his textbook for me? Tell him that Feliks stopped by too. Thanks!" Feliks then placed the textbook on the group and swung the door shut.

 _"You've got to be kidding me,"_ Alfred mentally complained. At this point he just wanted to bang his head against the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I love dork Alfred but I also like to think that he becomes possessive when provoked in some way (Wingman Kiku ftw!) Ugh, I and love fluff but I also love sexy/slightly smutty scenes (though I'm not confident in writing them ;w;). Poor Alfred, always getting cockblocked. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter! I think I'll try to finish this fic in the next chapter. Thanks for reading guys! Let me know if you catch any mistakes. ^w^


	4. Chapter 4

After Alfred's failed attempt at a confession, he decided not to bring it up again until he was sure he could confess without backing out and without any interruptions. To the alpha's apparent dislike, however, Arthur decided to keep in contact with Gilbert. Alfred would sometimes even see him wandering the halls of their dorm. Gilbert's presence just fueled Alfred's resolve to confess to Arthur, which he decided to do during Thanksgiving break.

Arthur, on the other hand, didn't want to risk waiting for Alfred, even though he does like the alpha quite a lot. _"But...I don't want to let him go yet,"_ Arthur thought, with a frustrated sigh. "Gilbert's a great companion, but I really can't see us being mates." Mad at his mind, his body, and Alfred, Arthur just flopped down face first on his bed. _"Alfred, you twit. Make up your bloody mind."_

\------------------------------------------------

Days passed by and Thanksgiving break rolled around. Alfred and Arthur sent Kiku off to the airport, where he'd be going on a trip with his other Asian friends for a few days. Back at the dorm, after Arthur and Alfred finished packing their bags, they were then picked up by Alfred's omega brother, Matthew. Needless to say, Arthur and Matthew got along swimmingly, since they were both omegas and they both knew about Alfred's habits very well. On the whole car ride back to Alfred's home, Matthew kept sharing stories about Alfred's embarrassing moments, amusing Arthur greatly, while Arthur told Matthew about Alfred's shenanigans in college. Alfred was stuck in the middle, lightly blushing, as he tried to stop both Matthew and Arthur from embarrassing him.

Arthur's first meeting with Alfred's parents went extremely well. Both Alfred's alpha father and beta mother loved Arthur and immediately started questioning him about how he found America and what his life back in England was like. Alfred tried, unsuccessfully, to stop his parents from asking Arthur too many questions, but the omega just assured Alfred that his parents weren't bothering him at all and that he actually enjoyed conversing with them.

Once they got back to the house, Alfred showed Arthur to the guest room and the whole family helped settle him in. Alfred's mother gave all three boys hot apple cider afterwards, then they all sat down to chat. Alfred's parents got to know Arthur better and in turn, Arthur got to hear more about Alfred's childhood and even saw some baby pictures, courtesy of his mother. The first night, the parents decided to take Arthur out to a family restaurant nearby, which used to be Alfred's and Matthew's favorite place to eat when they were younger.

The second day was Thanksgiving, and even though Alfred's whole family, especially Alfred, insisted that Arthur didn't need to help, the Brit still wormed his way into the kitchen, resulting in one disastrous dish. From then on, Alfred just made sure that Arthur only helped with small tasks, under Alfred and Matthew's supervision. They watched the annual Thanksgiving parade that their small town hosted, and had two hearty Thanksgiving meals. Arthur became more comfortable staying with Alfred's family, and he quickly became friends with Matthew.

Unknown to Arthur, Alfred was trying to mentally prepare himself to try and confess to Arthur after Thanksgiving dinner, but ended up putting it off to the next day. On the other hand, even though Arthur was getting along really well with Alfred's family, Alfred's presence still made the Brit feel slightly nervous. On the third day of break, Alfred's parents went out for the day while Matthew was also on a day trip with his friends, leaving only Alfred and Arthur alone in the house.

Both of them were sitting on the couch, with Alfred flipping through TV channels while Arthur was sipping on a cup of hot tea. The Brit took a glance at Alfred at the same time Alfred turned to ask Arthur something. Their eyes met, causing Arthur to quickly avert his eyes and focused on the tiny amount of tea remaining in his cup. Bored, and not wanting to make the atmosphere even more awkward, Alfred jumped up. "Artie, come up with me for a while."

Arthur raised a brow. "Why?" He asked skeptically.

"Cuz there's nothing much to watch on TV and I'm bored. Plus I wanna show you my collection!" Alfred reasoned. "You haven't seen it yet have you?"

"Is this the comic book and game collection you've told me about before?"

Alfred nodded vigorously. "Yep! I know you said you're not a huge fan of comic books, but maybe just give them a try? Or you can flip through the manga! You can give a shot at playing my games!"

"Alright, lead the way," Arthur gave in. He downed the rest of his tea in one gulp. "It's better than just sitting around here."

Once the two of them got to Alfred's room, Alfred said, "Now that I think about it, the past two days you've been here you haven't really gotten to see my room have you?"

Arthur shook his head. "We were always with Matthew and your parents. I have to say, your room is very...you." Posters of Marvel and DC comic book heroes, along with some sports trophies, and a large American flag decorated the alpha's room. There was also a PS Vita and a 3DS, along with a couple of tiny figures on one of his bedside tables. Rows of comic books and manga were lined on large bookshelf.

Alfred took Arthur's wrist and tugged him over to the bookshelf. "This is my book collection!" He claimed, proudly. Although Alfred looked like his usual self, he was mentally panicking.

 _"I need to tell him soon. I will tell him soon,"_ the alpha decided. Inside, he was sweating bullets, trying to prepare himself to confess to Arthur.

The omega nonchalantly looked through Alfred's collection, occasionally taking out a book or two and flipping through the pages. Unbeknownst to Alfred, Arthur himself was having a small mental crisis.

 _"He's not fazed at all with having me in his room,"_ the omega thought. _"While I'm here trying to not act like a teenage girl! That's it, I need to get this out of my system. Might as well take the risk."_

"Artie."

"Alfred."

Both of them called each other at the same time. Arthur signaled Alfred to go first. Not wanting to lose his resolution, Alfred decided to speak. "Um, so remember me telling you that I probably don't like Kiku that way anymore?"

"Yes…" Arthur answered.

"So, about the guy I like now," Alfred started. "I uh, I just wanted to let you know something!"

Arthur could feel his heart plummet. "So it's not me then…" The omega's senses slowly started to block out Alfred's stammering voice as Arthur clenched his fists. He still faced Alfred, but tried to not look straight into his eyes. A slight sense of impatience and frustration accompanied his disappointment, and finally, the omega snapped.

"Oh damn it all," Arthur cursed. "I'm attracted to you Alfred!" The omega finally yelled, interrupting Alfred. "I realized that I've been attracted to you for quite some time now but I know you like Kiku so I know that I don't really have a chance, but you send out so many mixed signals and I don't even know what to think anymore!"

Alfred blinked once. Then another time, and all that came out of his mouth was, "Oh…"

"Oh? **Oh?** Is that all you have to say?" Arthur fumed, his face red with embarrassment. One could almost see steam erupting from his ears.

"I...thought you were getting closer to...Gil?" Alfred squeaked, trying to defend himself.

"Well yes, I did consider it as an option but I decided that I can't go through with it because I. Am. **Very.** Attracted. To. **You**!" Arthur punctuated, poking Alfred's chest with his index finger each time he paused.

Poor Alfred showed no signs of responding. His mouth was partly hanging open as his eyes were thoroughly fixed on Arthur. A few moments of awkward silence passed and when Alfred still wouldn't respond, Arthur slapped his palm to his forehead and heaved a huge sigh.

"You know what you bloody twit. I'm just embarrassing myself. I'll be leaving. Please just forget this ever happened and…"

Before Arthur could finish his sentence, Alfred tackled him, bringing both the omega and alpha down onto Alfred's bed. The alpha was hugging Arthur tightly, reducing Arthur into a blubbering mess on the bed, under Alfred. Alfred squeezed Arthur even tighter, causing the omega to slap Alfred's arm multiple times and wheeze, "Let go you idiot, I can barely breathe."

"No, I'm not gonna let go," Alfred stubbornly replied, but still loosened his hug. With his head buried in the crook of Arthur's neck, Alfred brought his right hand up to run his fingers gently through Arthur's hair while his left arm still circled around Arthur's waist. "I'm sorry I don't act much like an alpha. But I really, really do like you a lot Artie." He pressed his body even tighter against Arthur's. "Sorry it took me such a long time to say it." Alfred then lifted his head up to look straight into Arthur's emerald green eyes. "I'd gladly be your mate...if you'd have me."

Alfred's proposition froze Arthur and this time he was the one who couldn't form a reply. The omega just kept blinking while staring back at Alfred. After a few minutes, when Arthur still didn't say anything, Alfred called, "Artie? You okay?"

Arthur seemed to snap back to reality as he nodded his head slowly. The full impact of Alfred's confession and proposition finally sunk in and Arthur turned his head to the side while his face started heating up from embarrassment. "S-Sorry. I just wasn't really expecting you to say what you said."

With a smile that that could rival the brightness of a thousand suns, Alfred chuckled, "Aww, you look so cute when you're embarrassed!" He brought his right hand away from Arthur's hair and cupped Arthur's cheek. Alfred then turned Arthur's head so that they were facing each other once again. For a while, Arthur refused to meet Alfred's gaze, but once he brought his attention back to the American, Arthur noticed that Alfred was blushing as well, but he had a large, bright smile adorning his face. Alfred boldly brought his face closer to Arthur and pressed their foreheads together. Arthur's blush deepened as Alfred's baby blues came straight into his line of sight, with their lips just mere centimeters apart.

"Y-You-! Alfred you-!"

Alfred's smile faded to give way to a more serious expression. He pulled his head away a little, unwrapped his left arm from Arthur's waist and used his left hand to brush the Brit's bangs to the side a little. Then, he brought that hand to cup Arthur's left cheek. With his elbows propping him up, above the omega, and his hands cupping his cheeks gently, Alfred leaned in slowly towards Arthur, but stopped just before their lips met.

"If you don't want this, tell me to stop," Alfred whispered.

Without any warning, Arthur closed the gap between their lips, surprising the alpha slightly. Alfred, however, got over his initial surprise quite quickly and he pressed back against Arthur's lips, accepting the kiss. After a few seconds, the two of them parted, and while Arthur whipped his head to the side while blushing madly, Alfred, who was also blushing, laughed like an amused teenager.

"Artieeee, c'mon, look at me," Alfred begged in a sing-song voice.

Arthur whipped his head back to shoot Alfred a weak glare. "You're an absolute git, Alfred."

"I'm **your** 'absolute git' now though, aren't I?" Alfred teasingly asked as he nuzzled his nose into the crook of Arthur's neck playfully. Their pheromones of both happiness and arousal were now evident in the air.

"I...I believe you are," Arthur admitted. "How long?"

"Hm? How long what?"

"How long have you thought about me...in this way?"

Alfred propped himself back up and thought back. "I think I actually started liking you in the middle of the semester? Maybe? I can't really tell cuz even I was confused! What about you?"

"Er, I actually thought you were quite...attractive when we first met." When Alfred gave Arthur a shit-eating grin, the Brit immediately continued, "B-But that was just your looks and I knew nothing about your personality!"

"So what do you think of my personality now?" Alfred playfully asked.

"W-Well, you are, of course, an idiot, b-but you also work hard and is a good person to...to be around." Arthur had to use a lot of his willpower to say what he just did, but after seeing Alfred's sparkling eyes and bright smile, he felt happy as well.

Alfred stopped propping himself up, so he just fell on top of Arthur and wrapped his arms around him, earning light protests from the omega. "You don't know how happy you make me, Artie. It's a great feeling, y'know, when my omega likes me back," Arthur cleared his throat and felt his face heat up a little more when Alfred said "my omega". Alfred lifted his head up and pressed his lips to Arthur's again, only this time, he licked the omega's lower lip to ask for entrance.

Arthur, who was still flustered, parted his lips slightly to allow Alfred's tongue to roam, and soon, both of their tongues were caught in a dance. They pulled back a little to breathe, but soon leaned in again for another kiss, and then another. Alfred's hands roamed down Arthur's back, found the bottom of his shirt, and crept his hands under the omega's shirt and up his back. Arthur gasped into the kiss when he felt Alfred's hand initially come into contact with his skin. With newfound courage and confidence, Arthur used his free hands to loop them around Alfred's neck and bring him closer, deepening the kiss and urging Alfred to explore the omega's body further. Arthur, in turn, tangled his fingers in Alfred's hair, playing with the blond strands. The room was now saturated with with arousal pheromones, and both of them realized it. But their open-mouthed kisses and passionate, but gentle touches wouldn't stop. Spurred on by the heat of the moment, combined with his heightened omega senses, Arthur also gripped Alfred's the back of Alfred's t-shirt and started pulling it so that it was now bunched up at the alpha's neck. Now that Alfred's skin was exposed, Arthur started to run his hands up and down the alpha's back. Alfred's hands, similarly, were now exploring the front of Arthur's torso, admiring the lean muscle that the omega possessed.

"Alfred," Arthur breathily called.

For a short while, Alfred pulled his head away, but then lowered it back down to Arthur's neck. "Artie," Alfred answered back, as he kept trailed kisses down the omega's neck.

It was as if the smooth skin had been inviting Alfred this whole time, ever since in the library. Arthur's scent was getting stronger again. Alfred could smell the roses and the tea, and to him, at that moment, everything was about Arthur. The alpha lightly nipped at the omega's soft neck, earning a sharp gasp from Arthur. The omega's breathing quickened as Alfred kept biting Arthur's neck lightly with an occasional lick.

_Mine. My Arthur. My omega._

Alfred brought his head back up and crashed his lips against Arthur's again, resulting in another heated kiss. Both parties were now breathing heavily and had a bright red blush across their cheeks. Alfred then kissed Arthur's cheek, then his jaw, then trailed down to his neck again.

"Artie...My Artie," Arthur growled possessively. He licked the area on the neck where a mating mark should be.

"A-Alfred," Arthur whispered again.

Alfred inhaled deeply, taking in Arthur's sweet scent. He then opened his mouth a little wider, with the intent of marking Arthur.

"H-Hold on, Alfred," Arthur insisted. "Wait."

A growl threatened to emerge from Alfred's throat, but the alpha suppressed it. He pulled back from Arthur neck and paid full attention to what his omega wanted to say, which was extremely hard for him to do considering Arthur's current state of delicious dishevelment.

"Y-Yeah?" Alfred gulped. "What's wrong, Artie?"

"I...Er, w-well, I just didn't want to go all the way right now," Arthur said in between heavy breaths. "I-I would rather us be official mates during one of my heats."

Alfred smiled tenderly. "Hey, no worries, Artie. If you'd rather wait, I-I'll respect your decision," Alfred answered in between short pants as well. "We got too carried away. Why don't we try again? And this time, start off slow?" Alfred pulled himself up into a sitting position to give Arthur room to do the same.

"Yes, that would be nice," Arthur agreed as he sat up on the bed and smoothed down his shirt.

"Great!" Alfred enthusiastically said. Both of them were still quite affected from the heated make out session earlier, but Alfred still tried to act like he normally would. "So, what do you say I take you out tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's our last day here. Are you sure you wouldn't rather spend it with your parents?" Arthur asked. Their breathing was starting to even out and Arthur used his shirt sleeve to wipe the sweat off his forehead and neck.

"They'll understand," Alfred replied. He used the hem of his t-shirt to wipe the sweat of his face. "Let's talk to them in a while. They love you so I'm sure they wouldn't mind us dating."

"But my case is much more serious than just dating," Arthur lightly argued.

"So we'll tell them that," Alfred said. "As long as you don't mind telling them your full story like you told me."

Arthur answered, "I...don't mind. I'll try to tell them myself. If we're going to do this, I'd rather they know about my condition."

Alfred offered a kind smile as he reached out and pulled Arthur straight into him, enveloping the omega in a gentle hug. "They'll love you no matter what."

"I hope they do," Arthur murmured.

"Okay, we'll deal with them later, but for now…" Alfred pulled away from Arthur, but then he lied down and brought the Brit down with him. Both of them on their sides, Alfred brought Arthur closer and hugged him like one would hug a teddy bear. "Let's cuddle for a while?"

A light pink tint dusted across Arthur's face at the innocent yet intimate gesture. He cleared his throat and replied, "Alright. B-But only for a while!"

Alfred laughed heartily. "Okay, okay, Artie, only for a while."

\------------------------------------------------

Just like Alfred predicted, his parents still love Arthur after Arthur told them his story, and they fully approved Alfred and Arthur being mates, as long as Arthur also tells his parents soon. Arthur agreed, and decided to make a skype call to his parents as soon as they reply to his message. The next day, Arthur called his parents to tell them the news, and although they were happy for him, they were also slightly concerned since they haven't seen Alfred before.

"As long as you trust that he's right for you, we're fine with it!" was what Arthur's mother said.

After getting his parents updated, Arthur then called Gilbert to tell him of his recent decision, and was met with a knowing laugh.

"I already knew you and Al were gonna get together anyway!" Gilbert boasted.

"H-How did you-"

"Well Al was giving off pretty obvious jealous vibes during the Halloween party. I'm surprised you didn't even notice! Not to mention you talk about him all the time."

"Er, sorry about that."

"No worries, and no hard feelings! Have fun with Al, Arthur! Kesesese!" With that, Gilbert and Arthur's phone call ended.

The next person Arthur called was Kiku. The Japanese man heaved a sigh of relief when Arthur finally informed him that he and Alfred had decided to become mates.

"Thank the gods, you two have finally opened your eyes," Kiku heavily exclaimed. "I am very happy for you, Arthur-san. I hope you and Alfred-san are very happy."

"Thanks Kiku. And hey, you were right all along," Arthur said.

"You will tell me everything once we are back on campus, yes?" Kiku enthusiastically asked.

Arthur could feel his best friend's smile from the other side of the phone. "Er, of course. I'll let you know later."

"I look forward to hearing the full story," Kiku replied. "Good bye, Arthur-san, have a good day."

Right after Arthur ended his phone call with Kiku, he felt an arm drape around his shoulders accompanied by Alfred's voice.

"Artie, Artie! You ready to go?"

Arthur jumped a little from the initial surprise. "Ah, Alfred. Yes, let's go."

Alfred took Arthur to a park where Alfred insisted that they sit on the swings. At first Arthur refused to do something which he thought was childish, but after much convincing, the Brit ended up succumbing to the alpha's pleas and the two of them spent some time on the swings. Alfred tried to perform tricks like the overgrown child he is while Arthur watched in amusement. Alfred then tried to get Arthur to do the silly tricks with him, and Arthur still ended up accompanying Alfred just because the alpha was good at making puppy dog eyes.

Alfred then brought Arthur to the town's antique bookshop. Arthur's eyes widened as he took in the beautifully lined rows of books in the shop. Alfred glanced over at Arthur's overexcited expression and chuckled. He bent down to place a quick kiss on Arthur's cheek, causing the omega to blush lightly and turn his attention to Alfred.

"I knew you love those old, classic books so I thought you'd like this place too," Alfred said with a smile. "Take as much time as you like here."

"Won't you get bored though?" Arthur asked, not wanting Alfred to idly sit somewhere while he was browsing through books.

"Nah, I'll also take a look at some books. I can also chat with the old shopkeeper over there," Alfred assured. "So you can just take your time!"

\------------------------------------------------

After the bookshop, the duo went to a nearby cafe to get some hot chocolate and a light snack. They spent some time talking about the future, both pertaining to their relationship and to their education. They then went back home and spent some more time with Alfred's family and had to endure Matthew's and Alfred's parents' constant teasing. Afterwards, Alfred and Arthur went back to their respective rooms to clean up, quickly put away their belongings, and get ready to go back to W University. Once the two of them were ready, Alfred's parents said their goodbyes while Matthew waited for them by the car. Alfred's mother gave both boys a hug and told Arthur to "keep Alfred in line", to which Arthur replied, "No worries, I definitely will."

After the car ride, Alfred and Arthur said their goodbyes to Matthew and watched him drive off for a while. Once they got back to Arthur's room, they were greeted by Kiku, who was standing near his room's door and wearing a large smile.

"Ah, you two are back," Kiku noted.

Arthur unlocked his door and walked in, with Alfred right behind him. Kiku also followed and after Arthur set down his bag, the Japanese man asked, "So, now that you two have finally started dating, won't you tell me everything?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Ahaaa….I didn't want this to go up to an M rating (because I think I suck at writing NSFW and this would be my first time trying to write something like that ;w;) so I stopped them there… (If you guys want I could, maybe, do an NSFW oneshot of them xD Maybe? I can try?)
> 
> Also, I always thought of Al being a mix between a playful alpha and a dominant one. I love reading Al as the super seme/dominant one, but I also love adorkable Al so...why not have him be a mix of both? :D Anyway, enough of me rant about my love for Al. What did you guys think of the chapter or the story as a whole? Did you all enjoy it? I hope so! I appreciate reviews/feedback and alerts and I really hope you guys liked this fic! Sorry if the ending seems rushed. I didn't want to drag it on too much so I decided to end it there. (Plus classes are already killing me ;-;)
> 
> Thank you all so much for the support!
> 
> K, so now I'm just gonna self promote and say if you guys enjoyed this fic, you can also check out my USUK oneshot that I wrote for the 2015 USUK Secret Santa. It's titled "A World of Color". And if any of you are also AsaKiku fans, I also wrote an AsaKiku oneshot for the AsaKiku Secret Santa titled "Thanks to Your Music", and for the AsaKiku Week Day 2 Gakuen AU, "To My Best Friend". (forgive me for the shameless self-promotion ;w;)
> 
> Bye for now! Thank you so much for reading!


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